The present invention relates to presence detection systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for presence detection using a video input.
In the modern business world, multiple individuals typically work together as a team to obtain a particular goal. The physical location of each team member can vary greatly. For example, different team members may be located in different rooms in the same building, in different buildings at the same location, or in different cities. Having different team members distributed throughout different locations, however, can inhibit the overall communication and effectiveness of the team.
Presently, it can be difficult to communicate with team members that are frequently out of their offices for meetings, travel, etc. Team members are forced to leave voice mail messages asking the team member to return their phone call. Alternatively, if the team members are located in the same building and the team member has not returned phone calls, the person may frequently call the team member or walk down to the team member's office to check whether the team member is present in his office. However, this results in a significant waste of time.
Therefore, there exists a need for a method and apparatus for automatically and accurately detecting the presence or absence of an individual.